After a nearly three-year wait, Severance has returned to Apple TV+ for its highly anticipated second season, with new episodes dropping weekly until the heart-racing finale on 21 March. While Apple TV+ has yet to renew the series, fans are already speculating over (and demanding) a third season.
At some point, everyone has had a job they‘d love to forget as soon as they leave. Created by Dan Erickson, Severance spins that idea into one of the most visually striking and narratively mysterious shows in recent years. Mixing corporate absurdity with psychological horror, Severance is a show that works on so many levels that one viewing won‘t be enough.
In this article, we‘ll explore what makes Severance unique — from its bold premise and innovative design to its genre-blending narrative and impressive performances. Severance is a masterclass in cinematography, storytelling, and production design, making it a must-see for any filmmaker.
What is Severance?
Produced by Ben Stiller (who also directs 6 of the first season‘s 9 episodes), Severance follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott), an employee at Lumon Industries, a secretive biotech company. Mark has recently been promoted, but with the promotion comes a strange requirement — the Severance procedure. This process splits his mind into two distinct personalities — his “innie,” who only exists at work, and his “outie,” who only knows his personal life.
Ignoring what should be an immediate red flag about an employer, Mark adjusts to his new environment. At Lumon, work is all about routine, schedules, and a near-Orwellian control of every aspect of life. But when strange events begin to unfold, Mark and his team start to question not only their jobs but the true nature of the company itself. They seek answers as the divide between their “innie” and “outie” lives grows.
The unique tone of Severance
Severance has a tone that’s unlike anything else on TV. It mixes the dull, everyday nature of office life with a feeling of psychological horror, creating a strange and uncomfortable atmosphere. The employees are always on edge, like their minds are trying to warn them about something bad, but their physical reactions are stiff and controlled, as if they’re holding back. A life like this can only be maintained for so long before it breaks.
What makes the tone even stronger is the subtle, eerie performances of the cast. The “innie” versions of the characters (the parts of them that exist at work) are deliberately stiff, robotic, and socially awkward. In contrast, their “outie” selves (the parts of them outside of work) are more relaxed and human. This difference in behavior adds extra tension as we watch the characters try to navigate their split identities.
A mix of genres
Severance is almost impossible to categorize due to its incredible genre-blending narrative. One minute, it‘s a sci-fi thriller exploring mind manipulation, and the next, it‘s a dark satire poking fun at office culture. At its heart, it‘s a psychological horror exploring the disturbing consequences of technology and unchecked corporate control.
This constant genre-hopping makes Severance gripping TV. It also presents the filmmakers with endless possibilities of where to take the story next. Too much genre mixing might confuse viewers expecting a more straightforward narrative, but the show‘s creators make each transition feel intentional and seamless. The deeper we go into Lumon, the darker the story becomes.
Production design
The world of Severance is carefully crafted to feel oppressive and isolating. The Lumon offices, designed by Jeremy Hindle (who also worked on Top Gun: Maverick and Zero Dark Thirty), take everything bad about corporate buildings and maximize the effect. Endless white corridors, harsh fluorescent lighting, sterile surroundings, and an eerily symmetrical design all contribute to a cold and unwelcoming environment.
The repeated design elements, like matching furniture and identical spaces, create a feeling of monotony and control. The production design isn‘t just a backdrop but an active player in the story, manipulating how we feel about the character‘s experiences and the world they inhabit and adding layers of meaning to every shot.
Sound design and score
The sound design for Severance is crucial to its evolving atmosphere. The “innie” world is filled with the sterile hum of machines and mechanical noises. The minimalistic approach to the sound design creates a cold, isolated feeling that reinforces the characters‘ loneliness.
The score, composed by Theodore Shapiro (The Secret World of Walter Mitty), significantly increases the tension. Eerie, ambient tones fill the “innie” world to create unease — something is very wrong here. In contrast, the “outie” world features warmer, melodic music, offering subtle emotional cues that ground the characters in their more human lives.
The sound and score perfectly complement the visuals and help clearly divide the two worlds.
Title sequence and theme
The opening title sequences are as unique as the show it’s introducing. The surreal and stylistic animation features abstract concepts in keeping with the show‘s central themes, such as the central character coming face to face with himself before melting into the floor.
Everything from the design of the characters to the disjointed movement between sequences creates a growing sense of dread. While displayed as abstract imagery, the sequence gives the viewers many clues about the story and the character’s state of mind. Season 2 updates the title sequence to reflect where we are in the story.
The main title theme perfectly captures the show‘s tone — blending atmospheric, dissonant sounds with a rhythm that evokes tension and melancholy. This evocative theme sets the stage for the entire series, immersing viewers from the very first note.
Visual direction
The visual direction is another area where Severance creates separate and distinct styles between the worlds it is building. Season 1 directors Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle (Brave New World) have created a stark reality for audiences to inhabit, each grounded in the world we know.
Cinematography plays a massive part in creating the unsettling vibe, and Jessica Lee Gagné (and Matt Mitchell on episode 4) has performed wonders. Gagne has worked with Ben Stiller before on his mini-series Escape at Dannemora, and the two creatively clicked.
As a viewer, you are almost alien in the most mundane of settings, and the ever-present eye of Lumon watches your every move. Wisely, the creators give emotional moments room to breathe within the mounting tension. Love, friendship, hopes, and dreams all exist in the world of Severance.
In the “innie” world, the characters are frequently shot in wide angles, making them seem small, almost insignificant against the larger office setting. The cold, symmetrical space becomes a character in itself, enforcing the characters’ sense of isolation. There is also a distinct lack of camera movement, with only the occasional slow pan used to build tension. The creative team has taken cues from the masters of cinema, the tools of Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg are used to staggering effect.
For the “outie” world, the shot composition is more playful, with camera movement used to pull the audience into the emotion of a scene. The framing also provides more close-ups of the characters, allowing the audience to feel they are getting to know the “real them.“
The contrasting visual styles between the two worlds add to the unease. Through these careful visual choices, Severance invites the viewer into its fractured, haunting world.
Color
Color design plays a crucial role in separating the “innie” and “outie” worlds, giving each a distinct visual palette that quickly informs the viewers of what version of the character we‘re watching.
The “innie” world is characterized by the muted tones you‘d find around most corporate buildings. The white, grey, and beige color palette, highlighted by bright fluorescent lighting, creates a sterile environment with little personality or warmth. Lumon Industries feels more like a ’60s interpretation of a hospital from the future. Even the characters‘ costumes stand out in comparison, using bolder, darker shades to make them feel out of place in the environment.
In contrast, the “outie” world is filled with softer earthy tones, such as blues and greens. While there is more warmth in the color palette for the “outie” world, the tones remain muted, reinforcing the underlying tension the characters feel — as if they are not seeing everything as vividly as they should.
The overall color palate and camera work might change between worlds, but Severance goes deeper than that. Mirroring the small acts of insurrection the employees undertake, small (yet vital) character moments are highlighted with a slight shift in color grading. These brilliant yet subtle changes are more than stylistic choices. They help tell the story and deepen our understanding of the characters‘ emotions.
Severance — a lesson in filmmaking
There is so much that Severance can teach filmmakers about the use of visuals and sound to tell a layered story. It reminds us of the oldest lesson in storytelling: show it, don‘t say it.
The show mixes genres through its use of set design, costume, dialogue, performance, and score to create two distinctive yet completely realistic worlds. Severance takes the horrors of office work to vivid extremes; it‘s an ambitious story, thrillingly told and exquisitely made.
By shifting between the inner and outer worlds, Severance explores the compartmentalized identities of its characters, using cinematography, music, and editing to build a constant feeling of tension and unease. In an era of limitless choice for TV shows, Severance demonstrates how thoughtful and detailed production choices can elevate a story and keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
You can stream all episodes of Severance season 1 on Apple TV+, and season 2 drops weekly episodes until the finale on 21 March.
